Ravens Trade Anquan Boldin To 49ers For 6th-Round Pick

(USA TODAY) -- Baltimore Ravens receiver Torrey Smith couldn't believe the shocking news Monday that fellow wideout Anquan Boldin had been traded to the San Francisco 49ers, the team Boldin helped the Ravens defeat in their 34-31 Super Bowl XLVII victory last month.

"Anquan Boldin traded to 49ers for a sixth-round pick ... WHAT!!!'' Smith wrote on his Twitter account.

"This business is BS at times.''

Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco urged Boldin in a Saturday conversation with USA TODAY Sports' Robert Klemko to stick to his guns, and now he's the newest member of the 49ers for standing on principle.

Boldin was traded for a sixth-round pick, a person with knowledge of the transaction told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because the trade is not official, pending a physical.

The trade ends the back-and-forth drama between Boldin and the Ravens. Boldin, who is scheduled to earn $6 million this season, balked at a pay cut, telling USA TODAY Sports he was unwilling to reduce his salary in order to stay with the team. He caught 22 postseason passes for 380 yards with four touchdowns, including six catches for 104 yards and a score in the Super Bowl.

"At no point, no matter how well I played would I come back to the table and say, 'I need more money,' '' Boldin told USA TODAY Sports on Saturday. "The contract that I signed was the contract that I intended to play out.''

At that time, Boldin also backpedaled from an earlier claim that he would retire if he couldn't return to the Ravens.

Now he will play out that contract in San Francisco.

Boldin led the Ravens in receiving yards the past three seasons since arriving in a trade from the Arizona Cardinals. Now Flacco, who urged Boldin to "stick to his guns" in the contract dispute, will have to find rapport with a new No. 1 target, something he'd hoped to avoid.

"Without him, we don't win the Super Bowl. He's a huge part of this team and someone I want to see back," Flacco told USA TODAY Sports on Saturday.

The deal also adds fuel to the NFC West rivalry between the Seattle Seahawks and 49ers. Only hours after the Seahawks pulled off a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for wide receiver Percy Harvin, the Niners countered with Boldin.

Boldin caught 22 postseason passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns, including six catches for 104 yards and a TD in the Super Bowl.

Boldin, 32, caught 65 passes for 921 yards last season, and was scheduled to count $7.531 million against the salary cap in 2013. The Ravens have been looking to create cap space to re-sign linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, a projected free agent, while also filling other needs.